


'Till The End of Time

by magnusragnor



Series: elle fills tumblr prompts [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Canon Compliant, Fluff, Future Fic, Human AU, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-12-06 02:37:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 17,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnusragnor/pseuds/magnusragnor
Summary: We can make this house a home, for ever and ever and ever, until the end of time.A collection of fics written in celebration of 500 followers.





	1. malec + cooking

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO IT ME
> 
> so ok i figured i could make this to make it easier for people to read the fics i'm posting for my 500 follower celebration!! check the chapter titles to see what pairings the fics include and stuff.
> 
> i just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who follows me and continues to read my writing and sharing it you all mean the world to me. <3 
> 
> come chat w/ me on [tumblr](http://magnusragnor.tumblr.com)!!

The first thing Magnus senses when he walks into the loft is the heavy scent of smoke. Magnus toes off his shoes and drops his bag on the ground, immediately alert as he walks through the apartment. 

Magnus sees Alec, sprawled out on the couch and unmoving, relief flooding his body when he notices his chest rising and falling, soft snores filling the air.

He runs into the kitchen, where the scent seems to be the strongest, and notices the oven smoking. Magnus snaps his fingers, magic pulsing through his veins as he easily clears the smoke from his apartment, grateful that he came just before the sprinklers were activated. 

When Magnus opens the oven, he finds what he believes is supposed to be lasagna, except this one is burnt and black. He frowns at what he assumes is a ruined dinner and walks back into the living room, crouching down next to his sleeping boyfriend. 

“Alexander,” Magnus whispers, placing a hand on Alec’s cheek and running his thumb across Alec’s cheekbone softly. 

Alec’s eyes open slowly, and he turns to look at Magnus, a smile blooming on his face before it quickly falls and Alec startles, bolting to sit upright. 

“The lasagna,” he says, practically flying off the couch and into the kitchen. 

Magnus follows him, and he finds Alec wearing Magnus’ muffin patterned oven mitt, slowly pulling out the lasagna with a small pout on his lips. 

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Alec says, putting the burnt dish on top of the stove and crossing his arms, the oven mitt still on his hand. 

“Well, I’m definitely surprised,” Magnus says, biting down on his lower lip to try and conceal his smile. 

His heart feels full at the fact that Alec, who has probably come home not too long ago from the Institute, decided to surprise Magnus by cooking for him. 

“Hey,” Alec says, looking over at Magnus with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t tease me for this.” 

Magnus holds up both of his hands, acting innocent. 

“I’m not, darling, I promise. You’re just adorable,” Magnus replies.

Alec smiles sheepishly, shrugging a shoulder. He doesn’t reply, glaring at the burnt lasagna like it personally hurt him. 

“How about this,” Magnus says, walking towards Alec and turning him to face Magnus. “Let’s throw together some stir fry for tonight, and you can try surprising me and being all romantic on a different day, when you’re not so exhausted.”

“Okay,” Alec replies, still smiling. He takes the oven mitt off and grabs Magnus’ hips, pulling him in for a short and sweet kiss. Magnus hums softly, his hands on Alec’s biceps to ground him. 

Magnus pulls away after a moment, pecking Alec’s lips again before meeting his eye. 

“I’ll cut the broccoli, you peel the carrots - deal?” Magnus asks, tilting his head to the side. 

“Deal.”


	2. malec + body paint

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is set in the "this world inverted" verse!!

The music in the club is loud, and Magnus feels out of place almost instantly. But Alec had asked him so nicely to go, his excitement over the blacklight party so genuine that Magnus was too weak to say no. Besides, they spent their last 2 dates doing what Magnus had wanted. They ordered food in Magnus’ loft and exchanged sweet and soft kisses while some rom com played on the TV in the background.

Everything between them is so new, but so unbelievably exciting. Magnus hasn’t felt this way about someone in such a long time, and although they are polar opposites, they really do go together well. Alec fills a room with his presence while Magnus prefers to blend in with the crowd, but somehow, they always meet in the middle.

The line to get into the club is long, but Alec tugs on Magnus’ hand to the front, and of course Alec is good friends with the bouncer. They get in easily, the bouncer flashing them both a light smile.

Inside it’s dark as hell, with people dancing everywhere. Most people are in minimal clothing or are down to their underwear, the body paint decorating their body and glowing different colors under the special lights. Magnus tugs a little self consciously at his plain black t-shirt.

There are a few tables of paint towards one of the walls that Alec leads him to immediately, grabbing one of the smaller brushes and dipping it into the bright green paint.

“Come here,” Alec says over the loud music, tugging on Magnus’ hand gently until Magnus steps closer with a smile.

Alec gently runs the paintbrush over Magnus’ cheek, tracing some sort of design. He looks focused, his eyebrows drawn together, and Magnus can’t seem to look away.

After a moment, Alec puts the paintbrush down, looking satisfied.

Magnus doesn’t say anything, the music in the club thrumming loudly through his body as he picks up a different paintbrush and dips it in the hot pink color. He turns to Alec and looks at his face and his arms, trying to figure out where to paint. When he meets Alec’s eyes, there’s a challenging look there. Slowly, Alec pops open the buttons on his dress shirt halfway down his chest and tugs his it open.

Magnus stops breathing for a moment, something blooming in his chest as he flicks his gaze down to Alec’s exposed chest. He licks his lips, putting one hand on Alec’s bicep to ground himself, and starts painting a swirl on Alec’s collarbone.

He feels Alec slip his hands to Magnus’ hips and Magnus meets his eyes. Something in the air feels hot and heavy and charged, and Magnus is intoxicated by it. He feels wanted under Alec’s half lidded eyes, and Magnus is suddenly hit with a fire of confidence.

Magnus steps back, taking a moment to admire his work on Alec’s torso, before he looks around. Feeling encouraged by the sea of shirtless men he sees, Magnus tugs off his t-shirt in one go, meeting Alec’s eyes again.

Nothing needs to be said, the heat in Alec’s gaze is enough. The sexual tension has been building between them for weeks, and Magnus _wants_.

Alec keeps his eyes peeled on Magnus as he grabs a bigger paintbrush and dips it into a vibrant purple, stepping close to Magnus and starting to paint his chest in an intricate design.

“Dance with me,” Alec whispers into his ear after he’s done, and Magnus closes his eyes, nodding mutely.

“Wait,” Magnus says, just as Alec gets ready to walk away. Magnus dips a finger in the yellow paint and cups Alec’s face, slowly drawing a yellow heart on his cheek. “There.”

Alec huffs out a laugh, intertwining their fingers and jerking his head to the dance floor. Magnus leads him through the mass of bodies until he finds a comfortable area and turns to Alec, moving his body to the beat.

The dancing is a little dirty and extremely intimate, and when Alec moves his hands down Magnus’ back he’s almost positive that his body is now decorated in a sea of different paints. Magnus kisses Alec deeply, and they both dance until the sun comes up.


	3. malec + flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a human au!!

“No, no. Yes I need those files by tomorrow. Fine, fine. Call them again and fix it, the deadline is Friday and I can’t have any more issues. Okay. Call me back.”

Magnus ended the call, checking the time and groaning. This week was an absolute disaster, and even though it was only Tuesday, Magnus was ready for it to end. He was running late to work today - which was a rare occurrence for him - and the company he was making a deal with was being difficult and unresponsive. 

Not to mention the worst part, which was that Alec was out of town for the week. 

Waking up to an empty bed was a feeling Magnus never wanted to get used to again, and even though they text and call every day, it just doesn’t feel the same. 

Magnus ran into the familiar office building and called the elevator, getting inside when it arrived. He went through his mental checklist for the day, leaning against the side of the elevator and closing his eyes. Being one of the heads of a department in a huge corporation was taxing as is, and even though Magnus loved it, loved the constant challenges and obstacles he had to work though, it could get draining. 

Usually that’s when Alec would remind him to relax and take a day off, but Alec wasn’t here, so all Magnus has to come home to are his two grumpy cats. 

Magnus walked out of the elevator when he reached his floor, and was instantly greeted by a familiar redheaded assistant.

“Mr. Lightwood-Bane,” Clary said, holding a large stack of papers and following him as he began to walk to his office. “Maia called earlier and said she wanted to set up a phone call for next week. Also, you have a meeting today at 2pm, and Raphael called to let you know that he’s coming over for dinner tonight.”

“Thank you, darling,” Magnus said, though it lacked his usual charm. 

“Magnus, hey, are you okay?” Clary asked, putting her hand on his shoulder once they reached his office. 

“Yes yes, just tired, I suppose,” Magnus responded, smiling warmly at her. 

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, bouncing on her toes a little with a bright smile. 

“What?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow at her excitement. “What do you know that I don’t?” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Magnus,” Clary said, though her grin betrayed her. “Now come on, we have a busy day ahead.” 

Magnus just nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes at her odd behavior before turning on his heel and unlocking his office door, stepping through and -

_Oh_. 

His entire office was decorated head to toe with various bouquets of flowers. Magnus could feel his heart racing as he lifted a hand to his mouth, trying to hide his smile behind his hand. 

“What? I don’t understand,” Magnus said, as he felt a hand on his arm. He turned and looked at Clary, who was smiling brightly at him. 

“It came with a card,” Clary handed a small pink card to Magnus and he read it, his heart instantly melting at the words. “So, what’s today? An anniversary? Your birthday was last month, so that can’t be it.”

“It’s just a Tuesday,” Magnus said breathily, lifting his eyes from the card and looking around the room in astonishment. “Just a Tuesday.” He repeated. 

“Well then, happy Tuesday, Magnus,” Clary said, squeezing his arm before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. 

“You ridiculous, ridiculous man. I am so in love with you,” Magnus said, mostly to himself as he raised the card to read it again. 

_I miss you and love you. See you in a few days. Love, Alexander Lightwood-Bane. xx_


	4. malec + flower crowns

“They look happy.” 

Alec hums softly in response to Magnus’ comment, pulling his date closer by the waist without taking his eyes off of Clary and Izzy. Luke twirls Clary into Izzy’s arms and they’re all laughing as Luke walks off the dance floor and back to the table he’s sitting at. Clary smiles at Izzy and hugs her, both of them swaying to the slow music. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Izzy this happy,” Alec says honestly, looking at Magnus who’s still watching the newlywed couple before meeting Alec’s eyes and smiling at him. 

“Aline did a good job planning it. The wedding was perfect,” Magnus says, sliding his hands up from where they’re resting on Alec’s biceps to behind Alec’s neck, playing with the strands of hair there. 

They’re dancing among a dozen couples, but Alec feels like it’s just him and Magnus. Magnus always has a way of doing this - making Alec feel like they’re the only two people in the world. It makes Alec feel free and so in love his heart practically sings. 

“The flower crowns were a great touch on Clary’s part,” Alec says, one of his hands drifting from Magnus’ hip to play with a stray daisy on Magnus’ flower crown. All of the groomsmen and bridesmaids got flower crowns made of daises, and Alec and Simon, both being the best men for Izzy and Clary respectively, got ones made out of sunflowers. 

“I didn’t know yellow would be such a good color on you,” Magnus teases, a smile on his lips. “Not that I’m particularly surprised. You pull off almost any color.”

Alec laughs, shaking his head fondly. He chews on his lower lip for a moment and stares intently at the flower crown on Magnus’ head. He blames the multiple glasses of champagne he had when he says,

“I hope we have flower crowns at our wedding.” 

“Our wedding?” Magnus echoes almost instantly, and Alec looks at his face to see surprise and awe in Magnus’ brown eyes. 

“Yeah,” Alec replies. It’s not like he didn’t mean it. He knows that one day, he and Magnus will have their own wedding. He stands strong as Magnus’ eyes study him, before a big beautiful smile crosses Magnus’ face. 

“Flower crowns sound wonderful,” Magnus replies breathily. “Is this your way of asking me to marry you, Alexander?”

“No,” Alec replies, leaning in closer and letting his lips brush Magnus’ cheek. “When I ask you, you’ll know.”

Alec feels Magnus exhale, and he smiles against Magnus’ cheek, kissing it lightly and pulling away to meet Magnus’ eyes again. 

“Besides, if I stole Izzy’s spotlight at her own wedding, she’ll never forgive me,” Alec says, smiling at the soft chuckle Magnus lets out. 

They dance for another moment before Magnus speaks again.

“For the record,” Magnus cups Alec’s cheek with one hand, running his thumb across Alec’s cheekbone. “When you ask me, I’ll say yes.” 

Alec catches Magnus’ wrist and places a kiss onto his palm, feeling his stomach flip at the promise of forever with Magnus. 

“Good,” Alec breathes out, unable to help the smile that blooms on his face. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” Magnus replies, leaning forward slowly and sealing their future with a soft kiss, one Alec can’t wait to recreate at an alter one day. 


	5. magnus & catarina + the first time he told her about alec

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> p.s. this takes place somewhere after magnus and alec have drinks post luke’s healing thing idk i’m bad w timelines love me

When Magnus opens the door to Catarina’s apartment, he’s hit with the familiar scent of incense burning. It’s the scent of cedarwood, which means Catarina has just finished up with a client. Magnus carefully toes his shoes off and rolls his shoulders back, trying to relieve the tension when he calls out for Catarina.

“Living room!” Catarina calls back. 

Magnus makes his way there, spotting his best friend sitting cross legged on the floor surrounded by books. 

“I brought the werewolf hairs,” Magnus says, taking out a small bag from his pants pocket and tossing it to Catarina, who catches it easily. 

“You’re a lifesaver, my dear,” Catarina says as she gets up and puts the bag in a drawer. “Some client requested a healing potion that’s probably a thousand years old. He’s really making me work for it this time.” 

Catarina crosses the room to Magnus, who’s leaning against the doorframe and smiling. 

“Well, he knows the right warlock to contact for that. You know healing is not exactly my strong suit,” Magnus replies as Catarina shakes her head fondly. 

“That’s why I’m the smart one out of the two of us,” she replies, tossing her long braid over her shoulder as Magnus rolls his eyes fondly. “Why do you look so tired?” 

“I recently drained all of my magic, that’s all,” Magnus says, walking with her into the kitchen and taking a seat on an island chair as Catarina magics up two cups of tea. “It’s just been taking a few days to collect myself.” 

Nodding, Catarina takes a careful sip of her tea. 

“You’re not one to drain your magic, Magnus. What happened?” 

“A werewolf got a little too close to death. I’m fine, I promise.” Magnus takes a sip of his own tea, the peppermint tasting familiar and calming.

“If you’re sure,” Catarina replies, turning to start cleaning her kitchen counter, a comfortable silence passing over them. 

Magnus chews on his lower lip, playing with a ring on his finger as he contemplates how to tell Catarina everything that’s been going on. He’s kept all his feelings and developments to himself to see if there was really anything to talk about. If it was worth it. But since two nights ago, sharing drinks with a tall man with bright hazel eyes and a soft smile, Magnus could feel it was worth it in his bones. 

“So,” Magnus says softly. “I met someone.” 

Catarina stops what she’s doing, turning around slowly. 

“Oh?” she asks with a raised eyebrow, leaning back against the counter. 

“Yeah. It’s new,” Magnus says, locking eyes with her. “I kinda met him at this demon summoning I did -”

“ _Demon summoning_? For fucks sake, Magnus -”

“ - _anyway_. I don’t know. It could be good. _He’s_ good.” Magnus says. He’s usually more eloquent than this, but he doesn’t know how to tell Catarina that he’s finally found someone he feels he can open up to. By the looks of it, though, it feels like Catarina understands. 

“Okay, okay,” Catarina says, rubbing at her temple. “Who is it then? Vampire? Seelie? Warlock? -” 

“Lightwood?” Magnus says with a weak smile, instantly reaching for his tea and taking a few sips. 

It takes a moment for the answer to click in Catarina’s mind, but when it does, her face goes from confusion to blatant shock, gaping at Magnus. 

“ _Lightwood_? As in someone who is related to _Maryse_ and _Robert_ Lightwood? Magnus Bane, I swear to god -” 

“ _Cat_ ,” Magnus tries to interrupt, but she keeps going. 

“Have you told Ragnor yet? He’s gonna rip you a new one, and I can’t -” 

“ _Catarina_ ,” Magnus says again, successfully getting her attention. “Look I know. It surprised me too. But it’s different. It feels different this time.” 

“It felt different with Camille too.” Catarina bites back, and Magnus takes a deep breath, looking down.

After a silent moment, Magnus sees Catarina’s hands cup his, her thumb rubbing soft circles into his skin. 

“I just don’t want to see you getting hurt, babe,” Catarina says softly, and Magnus looks up at her. “Not again.” 

“I know,” Magnus exhales. “ _I know_ , Cat. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“You know I do,” Catarina replies, flashing him a gentle smile. “And if it ever gets serious, I want to meet him.” 

“Okay,” Magnus says, nodding. “Now come on, let me help you with this potion, and maybe later we can go to Japan - I’ve been craving sushi all week.” 


	6. alec & aline + childhood memories

“I can’t believe you invented a girlfriend. I mean, Jessica Hawkblue? _Really_ , Alec?”

Alec laughs into his White Russian, tapping his fingers against the wooden table. Across from him, Aline takes a sip of her vodka lemonade, still giggling as she sets the drink down. 

As soon as both of them got a free moment, they decided to go out for drinks to catch up. Alec has missed this - missed _Aline_ \- and spending time with her. They had so many memories together, and there are few people Alec feels comfortable being this open around. 

“Hey, you’re the one who fell on your ass during our physical exams when we were 15 because Natalie Steinfield walked by.” 

“She _winked_ at me, Alec. I had a crush on her for _months,_ ” Aline whines. Alec shakes his head fondly. 

“Do you remember when we tried to sneak into Peculiar Pub?” Alec asks. They haven’t been drinking for long, but he can feel the alcohol in his system. He feels warm and loose-limbed and content. 

“Yes, oh my god. On your 18th birthday, yeah?” Aline asks, looking up as if the memory is playing in her head. “We really thought pretending to be straight would get us in easily.” 

“You called me sweetcheeks, Aline. _Sweetcheeks_.” Alec says, pointing an accusing finger at her. 

“You do have sweet cheeks,” she replies with a wink, and they both dissolve into a fit of laughter again. 

“I can’t believe it’s really been years since we’ve last seen each other,” Alec muses, taking another sip of his drink. 

“I know,” Aline replies, suddenly looking sad. “People move on and grow apart sometimes. I just hoped it wouldn’t be us, you know?” 

“Hey,” Alec says, putting his hand over hers and squeezing lightly. “Life gets in the way. Now you’re back, though, and that’s what matters.”

“Yeah,” Aline smiles softly, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, to be honest, I _was_ a little bitter I didn’t get invited to your impromptu wedding.” 

Alec groans, his head falling on the table as Aline’s laughter fills the air. 

“I promise not to hold it against you if I get to be a bridesmaid at your next wedding,” Aline says, and Alec lifts his head up, glaring at her before grinning. 

“Fine,” he says, leaning back in his seat. “That sounds fair.” 

“I’m glad you didn’t go through with it, by the way,” Aline says, her tone suddenly serious. “I don’t know what I would have done knowing you signed yourself up for a lifetime of unhappiness by marrying a woman. You were so brave that day and I just - I guess even if we weren’t talking as often as before, I just wanted what was best for you.” 

Alec nods sadly, rubbing his fingers together. 

“No need to dwell on the past,” Alec says, meeting her eyes and smiling softly. “It all worked out in the end, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Aline says, leaning forward on her forearms. “Now you’re dating the High Warlock of Brooklyn.” 

Alec can’t help the way his cheeks flush at the title, a warmth flooding his chest. 

“And you’re dating Helen Blackthorn. I guess we both lucked out,” Alec raises his glass and Aline does the same, grinning. 

“To our beautiful partners,” Aline toasts. 

“To us. To being best friends forever.” 


	7. jimon + movies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> low-key based off of my own [text post](https://magnusragnor.tumblr.com/post/162780975619/i-dont-understand-how-people-make-out-in-movie) bUT I HOPE U GUYS LIKE IT

“What are you doing?” Simon whispered to Jace, who had his hand placed on Simon’s thigh, rubbing small circles with his thumb that are driving Simon _insane_. 

He should have known that this was Jace’s plan all along. Simon was unbelievably excited to see War for the Planet of the Apes, and Jace had complained the whole way to the theater about how boring the movie looked. Simon had used his puppy dog eyes - which he has _perfected_ throughout his timespan of dating Jace - and thought that he had come out victorious. 

It wasn’t until Jace refused movie snacks and dragged him to the back of the theater that Simon got oddly suspicious. 

The theater was mostly empty too, and when Simon turned to look at Jace, the smug smirk on his face confirmed Simon’s thoughts. 

“Don’t answer that. You know exactly what you’re doing, you dick.” Simon stage whispered. He turned back to the screen and pouted, hearing Jace chuckle from beside him. 

“I’m just innocently trying to watch a movie with my boyfriend,” Jace responded, squeezing Simon’s thigh and making Simon sharply inhale.  

“I’m trying to watch a movie, Jace Herondale,” Simon said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I didn’t pay 16 bucks for each of our tickets so we could make out in the back of the theater like high schoolers.” 

“Who said anything about making out?” Jace whispered right into Simon’s ear, making him squirm in his seat. Jace leaned his face down and slowly started kissing Simon’s neck, his other hand starting to move up and down Simon’s thigh. 

“ _Fuck_ , Jace,” Simon breathed out, angling his head to give Jace better access to his neck subconsciously. “Isn’t this like illegal or something?” 

“That’s part of the fun,” Jace said, finding that one spot on Simon’s neck that he knows Simon goes nuts for and biting it. Simon bit down on his lip to keep quiet, noting the two older couples sitting at least 15 rows ahead of them. 

“But, but the movie - ” Simon tried to reason, though he and Jace both knew who was winning this. 

“Simon, baby,” Jace stage whispered, giving Simon a proper kiss before looking into his eyes. “It’ll come out on DVD in a couple of months, and I promise to buy it for you.”

“Okay, cool, yeah,” Simon sputtered, watching as Jace angled his body and bent down, kissing Simon’s stomach through his shirt and unzipping his pants. 

Jace held up his end of the promise, and for the holidays that year Simon unwrapped a brand new DVD of War for the Planet of the Apes, laughing for hours at the look on his friend’s faces. 


	8. malec + birthdays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this includes max and rafael lightwood-bane and it's future fic i hope y'all enjoy it!!
> 
> dedicated to my darling [riya](http://willjtudor.tumblr.com) for her birthday. i love you!!!
> 
> huge shoutout to [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) for beta'ing and being amazing as per usual. <333

Magnus sips on his morning tea, checking over the guest list to Rafael’s party one last time. Rafael’s turning 11, and it’s his first birthday with them, spending it together as a family. Though Rafael has been here under a year, he’s still as much of a son to Magnus and Alec as little Max is. So Magnus wants Rafael’s first birthday with them to be special and to serve as a reminder that he has people who want to celebrate with him.

“I hope Helen and Aline are able to make it. Helen says Aline is still sick with a nasty flu.”

Looking up, Magnus watches his very shirtless husband flip a pancake expertly, and Magnus grins, twirling the pen between his fingers.

“Me too. Although even without them we have almost 25 people who said they’re going to come,” Magnus replies, making a mental note to call the caterer to make sure the food comes on time.

“It’s gonna be a big crowd,” Alec says, putting the pancakes onto four plates and passing one to Magnus with an easy wink and a smile.

“And why are you so happy this morning, hm?” Magnus asks, getting off of his chair and taking a step towards Alec, who won’t stop smiling. It’s very difficult for Magnus not to mirror his happiness.

“I have two amazing kids and a beautiful husband - what’s there not to be happy about?” Alec asks, picking up the ends of the sash of the robe Magnus is wearing and tugging him flush against his body, kissing him deeply.

Magnus kisses him back instantly, wrapping his arms around Alec’s torso as Alec lifts a hand to cup Magnus’ face.

“Dad?”

Magnus pulls back from the kiss and turns his head, seeing a little seven year old in Star Wars pajamas clutching an oversized teddy bear and rubbing his right eye with a small fist.

“Good morning, Max,” Alec says from beside him, kissing Magnus’ cheek before pulling away completely and walking over to Max. “How did you sleep?”

“Good,” Max replies, smiling up at his dad. His blue skin is mesmerizing under the morning sun streaming through the windows. “I had a dream that me, you, Papa, and Rafael were on a pirate ship.”

“That’s one heck of a dream,” Alec says, ruffling Max’s hair.

Rafael appears a moment later in the hall, clad in his monotone pajamas.

“There he is,” Magnus says, walking over to Rafael and crouching down to pull him into a hug. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Papa,” Rafael says, laughing when Magnus starts peppering his face with kisses.

“Happy birthday, Rafa,” Alec says, which Max repeats almost instantly.

“Dad made pancakes in your honor,” Magnus says, brushing Rafael’s hair out of his face.

“Chocolate chip?” Rafael asks, his eyes lighting up.

“Of course,” Magnus replies with a wink.

Alec and Magnus finish up making breakfast while the kids talk about yesterday’s museum trip at the dinner table. Mornings like this are what Magnus adores, and will hold close to his heart forever. Everything feels soft and rich with love, and Magnus doesn’t really know how he got here, surrounded by his own little family, but every day he’s thankful.

“Simon, Izzy, and Jace are gonna come a little earlier to set up for the party.” Alec says as he sits down at the round table.

“Catarina can’t stay for long but she promised to stop by,” Magnus pours some maple syrup on his pancakes and passes it to Max, who’s making grabby hands at him.

“She always gives the most thoughtful gifts. Oh, also, the cake I bought is your favorite, Rafa,” Alec says, turning to Rafael with a smile.

Next to him, however, Rafa is pushing his food around his plate, chewing on his lower lip. Magnus and Alec share a worried look before Alec puts his hand on Rafael’s shoulder and Rafael looks up.

“You ok, bud?” Alec asks softly.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Rafael replies. He looks down at his plate again before picking up his fork and pointing it at Alec. “That cake better be chocolate on top of chocolate.”

“You know it is,” Alec says with a wink.

The day goes by beautifully. The four of them finish breakfast and all give Rafael their gifts, and the way Rafael’s eyes light up when he unwraps the guitar tells Magnus that they purchased the right gift. The guests start filtering in around lunchtime, and by then the entire loft has been decorated in a pirate theme.

A pirate flag is hung over one of the walls and the bar has been made to look like a pirate ship’s front deck. Maia stands at the bar, chatting to Meliorn and Luke. On the other side of the room, Max is performing for Izzy and Clary, showing them the new magic he learned, and Alec is talking to Simon. Other people are littered throughout the apartment, but Magnus notices, as he does a twirl, that he can’t find the guest of honor.

“You look lost,” says a familiar voice, and Magnus turns to face his husband, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Have you seen Rafael?” Magnus asks. Alec looks puzzled for a moment, then shakes his head.

“Actually, no. Not in the past half hour at least.” Alec nudges his head towards the direction of Rafael’s room and they both walk to it. Magnus knocks once before walking inside, finding Rafael sitting on the floor reading a book.

“Rafa,” Magnus calls, stepping into the room. Rafael looks up guiltily, closing the book and setting it down next to him. “Why aren’t you at your party, darling?”

“I don’t know,” Rafael replies, twiddling his thumbs together. Behind Alec, an overly excited Max comes running in, holding a present.

“Uncle Jace brought you a gift!” he cheers, holding out the bright red box to Rafael. “Wait, why do you look so sad?”

“I’m not sad,” Rafael says quickly in response to Max’s youthful bluntness.

As Max puts the gift next to Rafael, Magnus and Alec make their way over to the kids. Alec crouches in front of Rafael and takes his hands.

“You wanna tell us what’s really going on?” Alec says softly, tilting his head to the side when Rafael looks down.

“I just -” Rafael starts, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s too many people. I thought we could spend the day with just the four of us. But you and Papa seemed so happy to have everyone come over.”

“Oh, honey,” Magnus says, crouching down next to Alec and cupping Rafael’s face. “You’re allowed to tell us what you want - you know that, right? You dad and I, we just want you to see how many people want to celebrate your birthday with you. But it’s also _your birthday_ , and if you wanted something else you could have just said so, sweetheart.”

“I know. I just didn’t want to ruin the fun,” Rafael says, still looking sad.

“You could never ruin the fun,” Alec replies instantly. “It’s your special day. And all three of us - we love you very much.”

Rafael actually cracks a smile at that, and Max leans on him. Magnus barely holds back the need to coo at the brotherly affection.

“Stay here,” Magnus says to Alec, kissing his cheek and the top of both of his son’s heads. “Papa will be right back.”

The next fifteen minutes are spent doing damage control. One by one Magnus apologizes to his guests and tells them that the party is over, and while people are sad to leave, they’re all close friends and family and are extremely understanding. The gifts are left on the coffee table, and they have plenty of food left, but the loft is left in a mostly mess-free state.

He makes his way back to Rafael’s room and slowly opens the door. Alec, Max, and Rafael are putting together a Lego set that Rafael got for Christmas when Magnus clears his throat.

“Come on, let’s go back out,” Magnus says, and he can instantly see Rafael’s face drop at the prospect of having to socialize with a few dozen people.

With a little encouragement from Alec, all of them make their way out of Rafael’s room and into the loft towards the kitchen.

“Where did everybody go?” Rafael asks, climbing on one of the island chairs. Alec seats Max on the other one.

“They all went home. You said you wanted just the four of us - our family together for your birthday. So, here we are,” Magnus says, smiling as he walks over to the fridge.

“Next time, _talk_ to us, Rafa, okay?” Alec says, leaning over the island to ruffle Rafael’s hair, to which Rafael laughs playfully and saying a soft ‘okay, dad’.

Magnus pulls out a chocolate cake from the fridge and sets in on the island, snapping his fingers and lighting a candle.

All three of them start singing _happy birthday_ softly, Magnus using his magic to dim the rest of the lights in the loft a little so the candle illuminates the room. He can see now, the joy on Rafael’s face at just the four of them being there. Rafael has been denied a loving family for too long, and when he was adopted Magnus and Alec both swore to do everything in their power to make sure Rafael knew he was wanted and had a home. Had a family.

“You have to make a wish now, darling,” Magnus says softly once the song is over. Max is giddy next to Rafa, his eyes on the chocolate cake, and Rafael just smiles, shaking his head.

“I don’t need to. Everything I would want is right here,” Rafael says, looking at his brother and fathers.

Magnus swears he hears Alec’s breath hitch, and he feels his own heart melt at Rafael’s words.

Closing his eyes, Rafael blows out the candle, a huge grin on his face and a light in his eyes as Max claps from beside him.

“Oh, Rafael! Papa got fake swords. We can play pirate and guards,” Max says, wobbling his way down from the island chair.

“Cool!” Rafael responds as they both run towards the wooden box of styrofoam swords.

Magnus sets the kettle as two strong arms wrap around his waist from behind. Magnus smiles, turning in Alec’s arms and placing his hands on his chest. From the other room, Magnus can hear Rafael and Max playing and shouting:

“I’m gonna catch you!”

“You’ll never take me alive!”

Alec laughs softly, kissing Magnus softly and resting their foreheads together. “Should we go and join them?” Alec asks.

“Yea,” Magnus says, closing his eyes and just revelling in the moment. “But only if I get to be a pirate.”

Alec grins. “Deal.”


	9. jimon + high school

“It’s _easy_ , Simon.”

“No, it’s _terrifying_.” 

Jace sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as his boyfriend looked up the height of the rope, rubbing his hands together. Simon had been putting off climbing the rope for two weeks now due to his fear of heights, but he needed to at least attempt it in order to pass gym class. 

So, because Jace was a loving and caring boyfriend, and was one of the first people to climb the rope, he offered to help Simon overcome his fear. 

“You don’t even have to get to the top, babe. You just need to try,” Jace said, grabbing the rope and offering it to Simon. 

Simon flinched back, staring at the rope with wide eyes. 

“What if - what if I start climbing it and it detaches from the ceiling and I come plummeting to my death?” Simon responded, crossing his arms. 

“I’m only a little offended that you think I’d let anything happen to you,” Jace said, giving him an unimpressed look. 

Simon bit down on his lip, and Jace instantly recognized that expression as Simon trying to hold back a smile. Jace offered the rope again with a smirk, realizing that Simon’s resolve was crumbling.

“Fuck, fine! Fine, okay, cool,” Simon stuttered out, grabbing the rope with two hands.  

Jace let go and took a step back, giving Simon an encouraging nod. 

“Just a tip: whatever you do, don’t look down,” Jace said, giving Simon a thumbs up when he smiled weakly. 

“Okay, I can do this. I got this,” Simon said. Jace barely heard Simon’s quiet ‘ _come on spiderman_ ’ that he whispered to himself before he was off, climbing the rope. 

Jace watched him intently, and while he was almost positive Simon would stop at most halfway up, Simon just kept going. He continued to grab the rope and hoist himself up, and Jace’s jaw actually dropped when Simon reached the top and rang the bell. 

Izzy and Jace were the only ones able to reach the top in their entire _grade_. 

Jace cheered for him loudly, pumping his fist in the air.  

“Jace?” Simon shouted from the top. “I don’t think I can’t get down.” 

“One hand after the other, babe, you got this,” Jace replied loudly, watching Simon hesitantly move back down the rope.

A little more than halfway down, Simon panicked and dropped down on the matt below with a soft thud. Jace ran to him immediately, shaking his head fondly. 

“I can’t believe after almost a year of dating you I haven’t learned to stop underestimating you,” Jace said, laughing as he hoisted Simon up, gripping his shoulders. “You did it, man!” 

“I did, didn’t I?” Simon said, blinking a few times before grinning widely. He pushed his glasses up his nose before grabbing Jace’s face and kissing him, grinning into the kiss. 

Jace cupped the back of Simon’s head, kissing him deeper. Simon pulled away after a moment, kissing Jace’s lips again briefly. 

“Thank you,” Simon said, cupping Jace’s face. “For helping me today.” 

“Anytime,” Jace replied, smiling as he pushed Simon’s hair out of his face. “Now you just have to do it in gym class tomorrow.” 

Simon let out a dramatic groan as Jace laughed, pulling him closer and kissing him again. 


	10. alec & izzy + clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set in the This World Inverted universe
> 
> huge shoutout to [ceci](http://maghnvsbane.tumblr.com>pat</a>%20&%20<a%20href=) !! love u both sm

Alec threw another boring green dress behind him carelessly, digging through Izzy’s walk in closet in hopes of finding one dress that he thought suited the occasion. 

“It’s just dinner, Alec, honestly,” Izzy said from behind him, crossing her arms. 

“He’s taking you to a fancy place, Izzy. That calls for a nice dress,” Alec replied easily, surveying a navy dress before pushing it aside. 

As much as he loved Isabelle, she was hopeless when it came to finding proper formal clothing. Not to mention tonight was actually _important_. About a week ago Simon had stayed while Izzy went to get them both glasses of water and showed Alec a simple silver diamond ring. 

Alec shouldn’t have been as shocked as he was, and Simon texted him this morning letting him know that tonight was the night. While it took some time to warm up to Simon Lewis, Alec now considered him a good friend and he knew that Simon loved Izzy. Alec had only ever wanted what was best for his sister. 

Pulling out a plum colored dress with lace sleeves, Alec turned and studied Izzy, who’s sitting on the bed wringing her hands together nervously over her robe. She smiled at him and then frowned when she spotted the dress. 

“Are you sure? I’ve never worn that dress before,” Izzy said, getting up and running her hands along it. 

“Just try it on, okay? If you really hate it we’ll find something else,” Alec said, and Izzy huffed, snatching the dress from his hands. She stomped into her walk in closet dramatically, whining out a ‘ _fine_ ’. 

Alec fell back on the bed and took his phone out of his pocket. He smiled when he noticed a text from Magnus, something about one of his readings going horribly wrong and how he’s excited to tell Alec about it. 

It’s been 6 beautiful months of dating the best man Alec’s ever met, and he couldn’t be happier. 

“I don’t know, Alec,” he heard Izzy say, and Alec lifted his head. She had her hair down, and it was obvious that the dress was practically made for her. It was bold without being too over the top, and Alec’s heart swelled at how fast Izzy had grown up. 

Alec sat up properly and smiled at her when she pushed her glasses up her nose. 

“You look beautiful, Izzy,” Alec said sincerely, and Izzy smiled brightly. 

“You think so?” 

“Well I know Simon’s gonna be swooning,” Alec responded, and Izzy laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Wear it with your black heels. The ones I got you for Christmas last year.” 

Izzy replied with two finger guns and a nod, running to go find them. She emerged a second later, doing a little spin. 

“These shoes are _so comfortable,_ ” Izzy said, practically bouncing on her toes. 

“I do have great taste,” Alec replied, opening the door for her after she’d grabbed her purse. 

They walked out of Izzy and Simon’s apartment together and stopped right outside as Izzy checked her phone. 

“Speaking of, are you seeing Magnus tonight?” she asked, giving him a knowing smirk. 

“Yeah, I’m meeting him at his house in an hour,” Alec replied, unable to help the smile on his face.

“Simon’s meeting me at the restaurant after work in about fifteen minutes. I guess we both should get going,” Izzy said, putting her phone away. Alec nodded and pulled her in for a tight hug. 

“Have fun tonight, Iz,” he said. 

“I will. Bye, big brother!” Izzy said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and walking past him with a wave. He sighed, smiling to himself as he started walking towards the subway, knowing that in a few hours time, he’d get an excited call from Izzy announcing her engagement. 

Alec’s hoping, that if things go as well as they have been with Magnus, in a few years time he’ll be able to announce his own. 


	11. jimon + plants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> psa: this is set in the harry potter universe!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy early birthday, [edin](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com)!! i love you so so much and i think you’re not only talented and kind and smart, but an overall incredible person who i’m lucky to know. thank you for being an amazing friend. i hope you get all the love and happiness in the world. 

“So, this is Aconite. The leaves are very poisonous, but the root is used in potions, most notably Wolfsbane Potion. That’s used to treat lycanthropy, or you know, werewolves. That’s totally gonna be on the exam, by the way, so just make sure you remember that,” Simon babbled, flipping through the pages of his textbook. 

The sun was setting outside, sending rays of soft light through the windows of the herbology room. They’d been at this for almost two hours now, studying random plants and facts that would be on their exam. The issue, though, was that Jace knew all of this already. 

Jace had been trying to talk to Simon for weeks now, after crushing on him from afar since his third year in Hogwarts. He blamed his sister, and her insisting Simon might have a crush on Jace too. 

Nevertheless, that was how they ended up studying late into Friday night for their Monday mock-OWL exam. Simon was a good teacher, and even though Jace knew most of the the information Simon was educating him on, he was still managing to learn something new. 

“We’ve been at this for two hours now,” Jace said, softly tugging the textbook from Simon’s hands, who reached for it like a child whose toy was just taken away. Jace can’t help but find it endearing. “It’s time for a break.”

“But we’re not even halfway through chapter 5, and chapter 6 is hard, dude,” Simon said, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Which we can totally get to after we chill out for fifteen minutes,” Jace carefully closed the old textbook and positioned it on the other side of the table, turning to Simon. “How’s uh, Quidditch going?” 

Simon was the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and that was an impressive position for a muggleborn wizard to have. Not that it wasn’t possible, but Jace had been going to Quidditch games with his siblings since he learned to walk. Simon had only been introduced to the sport six years ago. Yet, somehow, Simon climbed up in ranks, and fuck if he wasn’t one of the most talented Quidditch players at Hogwarts right now. He wasn’t as aggressive as the other players; instead he was sneaky and quiet, and was an incredible Chaser.

Needless to say, Jace was a little in awe of the Hufflepuff before him. 

“Good,” Simon replied, picking at a piece of lint on his sweater. “We play Ravenclaw tomorrow which is gonna be tough, but the team’s pumped.”

“Cool,” Jace said as a silence fell over them. 

“I was surprised, you know, when you asked me to tutor you,” Simon said out of the blue, causing Jace to look at him. 

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Jace asked.

“I thought you were one of the smartest kids in the class. You always get every question right in the class and you’re just really good with - um - plants,” Simon said, shrugging his shoulders. “Do you feel like you have to play dumb to keep up your cool kid facade?” 

“No,” Jace responded instantly, licking his lips. “I just needed the extra help.” 

“Sure,” Simon said, narrowing his eyes. “So this isn’t just a game of ‘Gryffindor picks on Hufflepuff’ then?” 

“ _ No _ ! Simon, what?” Jace asked, eyes wide. Simon just laughed. 

“I’m just teasing you, man,” Simon replied. Everything felt quiet around them as Simon met Jace’s eyes. “I guess part of me was hoping you asked  _ me _ because you wanted to spend time with  _ me _ .”

The fire in Simon’s eyes gave light to Jace’s brutal honesty. 

“I did,” Jace said, a smile blooming on his face. “You’re right, by the way. I do know all of this stuff.” 

“I knew it!” Simon exclaimed, pointing a finger at Jace, though it was accompanied with a smile. 

“Hey! Don’t blame me for not knowing how to ask out the cute guy in my herbology class,” Jace said, picking up one of the sample leaves on the table and caressing it gently, suddenly feeling impossibly shy. 

“Well, then let me do it for you,” Simon said, and Jace looked up, surprised. There was a soft blush on Simon’s cheeks, but he looked confident and sure. 

“Jace, do you wanna go out with me? Maybe this weekend, on the trip to Hogsmeade?” Simon asked. Jace returned Simon’s smile easily. 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Jace replied. 

“Cool,” Simon said, kicking Jace’s shin softly. “Now let’s get back to herbology. If we don’t know the difference between Gillyweed and Mandrake, then we’re both gonna fail.”    
  



	12. malec + hot chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> winter time softness
> 
> s/o to [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) for beta'ing!! <3

Alec steps through the portal, feeling the familiar whoosh around him as he and Magnus arrive back at their loft.  His nose is still cold and red from the freezing weather in Switzerland, and he rubs his gloved hands together to try and regain some warmth in his body. 

“I can’t believe I have to create the portal  _ and _ hold the drinks,” Magnus teases as he makes his way to the couch, setting the two paper travel cups on the coffee table and taking off his winter coat. 

“Sorry,” Alec says sheepishly, taking off his gloves and continuing the rub his hands together to create friction as he steps around the couch and plops down on it. 

“I did tell you to layer up, darling,” Magnus says, a small smile on his face as he sits beside Alec. 

“I didn’t know you were taking me to Switzerland! I was dressed perfectly fine for the weather in New York,” Alec pouts, his entire body still unbelievably cold. 

Magnus takes a sip from his to go cup slowly before reaching over and taking Alec’s hat off. Magnus is smiling at him, his eyes bright with a certain ease Alec doesn’t think he sees Magnus have around other people. It makes him feel unbelievably special and lucky. 

“That’s because it was a surprise,” Magnus responds, running a hand through Alec’s hair. 

“Well, I  _ was _ surprised,” Alec says just as Magnus leans in and kisses him softly. 

Almost instantly, Alec feels his body flood with warmth. He’s under the impression that this may be caused by some sort of magic, but it could just be from kissing Magnus. Magnus’ hand that was in Alec’s hair cups his cheek gently, pressing deeper into the kiss. 

The kiss tastes like the rich hot chocolate Magnus was just sipping out of his cup - the reason Magnus had surprised Alec with a visit in the first place. Alec had admitted a few weeks ago that the best hot chocolate he’d had was from Dunkin’ Donuts, and Magnus practically had a heart attack. Magnus was right, of course, and once Alec had the first sip of Swiss hot chocolate he’d realized the stuff he’d been drinking all these years was garbage compared to the real stuff. 

They sit there for a few minutes, their kisses deep and soft and exhilarating all in one. Magnus pulls away after a moment and Alec chases his lips, making Magnus smile. 

“Drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold, Alexander,” Magnus says softly, rubbing his thumb over Alec’s cheekbone for a moment before reaching behind him and grabbing the fuzzy blanket they keep on the couch and throwing it over the both of them. 

Alec reaches for his cup and takes a sip, relaxing into the couch and enjoying the comforting and delicious flavor of melted chocolate. Magnus turns on the TV with a flick of his wrist and the title screen of a random movie Magnus has chosen starts playing

“Still cold, darling?” Magnus asks, taking Alec’s free hand in his. 

“Not anymore,” Alec says with a gentle smile, tugging Magnus’ hand up to his lips and pressing a kiss to Magnus’ knuckles. Magnus smiles in return, cuddling into Alec’s side as the movie starts playing. 

Outside, the snow slowly starts falling, but inside, curled up next to Magnus, Alec feels perfectly warm and cozy. 


	13. malec + picnic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) beta'ed and is amazing
> 
> psa: this is set in the this world inverted universe!!!

“Can you believe it’s been three years?” 

Magnus turns his head and looks over at Alec, who’s leaning on his elbow on the red and white picnic blanket and looking directly at Magnus. His hair is free from its usual product, swaying in the warm spring breeze. Popping another grape into his mouth, Magnus lays down on his back, gazing up at the cloudy sky. 

It was a nice day in the middle of May, and Alec had insisted they have a cliche picnic in Prospect Park. It’s kind of cute, actually, since Prospect Park has become their place of sorts, throughout their three year relationship. It’s where they went on their first date, their hands swinging between them before Magnus gently intertwined their fingers, earning a blinding smile from Alec. It’s where, three dates later, Alec asked Magnus to be his boyfriend, and they kissed in the open field, snow covering the grass around them like a blanket. It’s also where Magnus stopped them mid walk and asked Alec to move in with him. 

Now, it feels like Prospect Park is a key to their relationship. It holds so many memories, and being here with Alec reminds Magnus of their love story, from the first meeting to now. 

“Time flies,” Magnus responds. He feels Alec press a kiss to his shoulder and smiles. 

“If you had told me three years ago that I would have met someone like you at one of my events, I don’t think I would have believed it.” 

“Someone like me?” Magnus asks, his brows furrowed. Alec props back up on his elbow, looking down at Magnus. His eyes are sunlight and warmth and love, and Magnus will never understand how, even three years later, Alec Lightwood manages to take his breath away. 

“Someone smart and caring. Someone who knows what he wants in life, and is passionate. Someone who is selfless, and has a heart of gold,” Alec says, soft but sure, and Magnus feels a blush on his cheeks, but his eyes never leave Alec’s. “It also doesn’t hurt that you’re ridiculously gorgeous.” 

Magnus laughs, playfully hitting Alec’s side. 

“Alec -” 

“No wait, I -” Alec sits up, pulling Magnus up with him. “I never expected you to come along. But you did. And knowing you, the best and the worst parts, I know for certain that I will never love someone the way that I love you.” 

“Alexander, what’s this about?” Magnus says softly, watching Alec’s usually confident demeanor change to something more nervous.

Alec watches Magnus for a moment, chewing on his lower lip before reaching into the picnic basket he’d arranged and pulling out a small velvet box. 

Magnus feels like his entire world has been put on pause. All that matters right now is this moment with the man he loves and the tiny velvet box. 

“Magnus Bane,” Alec starts, his voice soft but certain, and Magnus swears his heart might explode. His mouth is slightly parted, watching Alec like he’s the most wonderful thing he’s ever known - which isn’t exactly untrue. 

“Magnus Bane, will you -”

“Yes,” Magnus says, unable to stay quiet much longer. 

“You have to let me ask,” Alec says, a big awed smile on his face. 

“Okay, okay,” Magnus says sheepishly, but he’s grinning ear to ear, and his heart is racing. He’s so in love with the man in front of him, and in that box is just another milestone, another step to take into a lifelong future together, and Magnus can hardly wait. 

“Magnus Bane, will you marry-” 

“Yes!” 

Alec laughs as Magnus tackles him, the box half open in his hand. Magnus kisses all over Alec’s face before landing on his lips and holding him close, the kiss tender and sweet. 

“I love you,” Alec says when Magnus pulls away. Magnus is about to apologize again for interrupting, but Alec doesn’t look all that bothered. Alec takes Magnus’ hand and slips the ring on his finger before kissing his palm. 

“I love you, too,” Magnus says back, kissing Alec again and again. They laugh softly between kisses, and the new band on Magnus’ finger holds a promise that their future will be filled with  _ this _ . Laughter, love, and Prospect Park. 


	14. jimon + birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna make this fluffy but it got sad OH WELL
> 
> enjoy!!! (s/o to [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) for beta'ing!!)

Jace stumbles into the boat house, the alcohol he drank earlier at Hunter’s Moon still flooding through his veins. He isn’t sure exactly how much he’d had, only knows that Maia challenged him to a drinking contest and she kicked his ass. 

He throws his jacket and it lands - somewhere. He can’t be bothered to care right at this moment, because he has an adorable musically talented vampire sitting on a bed strumming his guitar. Jace rubs at one of his eyes and smiles when Simon looks up with wide eyes. 

“Hey there,” Simon says casually, refocusing his attention on his guitar. 

“Hey,” Jace says softly, going to sit down next to Simon on the bed and instead ending up on his back. Hm, maybe he’s not as present as he thought he was. 

Jace studies Simon’s profile for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

Even in the dim light, and even though he’s drunker than he can comprehend, he knows something isn’t quite right with Simon. Maybe it’s the tightness of his jaw, or his furrowed eyebrows, but Jace is starting to worry, god damn it. They may have been only dating for a month now, but Jace cares about Simon, more than he’s ever cared about someone in his life. 

Simon places his guitar on the bed and fidgets with his fingers, suddenly looking less sad and more nervous. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” Jace replies almost instantly. 

“Would you be okay visiting my dad’s grave with me tomorrow?” Simon asks, still not having made eye contact with Jace since he first walked in. 

Jace tries to process the request, and the first answer in his head is  _ duh _ . Because he’d do anything to make Simon happy. But the other part of his brain that’s holding on to his sobriety is telling him that this question didn’t come from nowhere. 

When Jace opens his mouth to speak, Simon beats him to it. 

“Tomorrow’s just - it’s my dad’s birthday. And I used to go to his grave alone, because taking Mom there would just make her more sad, and Becky is away right now, and I just need someone there,” Simon breathes out. His voice is shaking, and when he turns to finally meet Jace’s eyes, Jace sees tears welling in Simon’s. 

“Baby,” Jace says softly, and Simon chews on his lip, shaking his head. 

“I just miss him, especially on a day like his birthday. He was a good man.”

Jace sits up, swaying a little and cursing his drunken state as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend, pulling his head to the crook of his neck and kissing the top of his head. 

“Of course I’ll go with you. I’ll always be here for you,” Jace says, rubbing a soothing hand up and down Simon’s back. “Whatever you need, Simon.”

“Thank you,” Simon says, reaching an arm around Jace and holding on to him. 

A few moments of silence passes between them, before Simon speaks up again. 

“Do you think that after a while my birthdays will become irrelevant to me?” Simon asks. 

“What?”

“Like, I’m a vampire now. I have immortality. My dad will never get to celebrate a birthday again, and he only had a limited number of them, and I can’t help but think about how I have a thousand birthday to celebrate, and my dad only had 51.” Simon says, playing with the fabric of Jace’s shirt. 

“I can’t -” Jace collects his thoughts, trying his best to find the right words. “I don’t know what it’s like to be immortal, Simon. Maybe Raphael and Magnus could offer you some more advice with that, but what I do now is that while I’m here, I promise to make sure that every birthday you have is relevant and important.” 

“I love you, did you know that?” Simon says, leaning back to look Jace in the eyes. 

“I love you too,” Jace responds back easily. The air between them is comfortable if not a little melancholy, and while Jace will never  understand some of Simon’s struggles of being a downworlder, all he can do is try to be there for the man he loves. He will do everything he can to be there for the man he loves.


	15. malec + carnivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to [ceci](http://daddariossmile.tumblr.com) for giving me the original idea & [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) for beta'ing!!
> 
> p.s. this is a human au setting!!!

“It’s super easy, see? You just have to know how to aim,” the guy smirked, cocking the plastic gun and flexing, as if Alec couldn’t tell that he was showing off.

It started off totally innocent, to be honest. Alec came to the carnival because Simon had a random Tinder date with a girl named Maia, and he wanted Alec to be there in case she ended up being some crazy serial killer. She wasn’t, and Simon and her actually hit it off, and unintentionally Simon abandoned Alec at this dumb fair in the middle of nowhere. 

Not to mention Simon was Alec’s ride home, but whatever. Alec wandered for a bit and saw a giant stuffed panda bear that Max would love, and he decided that since he was here, he had to try and win it. 

The game was simple enough, but even with Alec’s archery skills it proved to be slightly rigged. That’s when the guy with the obnoxious smile and long blonde shaggy hair stepped in, pretending no one was better at this game than him. 

Even after two very polite rejections, the guy didn’t take no for an answer, and at this point Alec was annoyed and ready to go home. He’d been looking for a way out of the conversation for a while, and was ready to just rudely say goodnight and leave, when the guy slapped down five bucks and told the lady running the game that he’d win the teddy bear for the “tall guy with a nice ass”. 

Alec grimaced as the guy winked back, getting into position to take his shot. Alec just crossed his arms over his chest, looking unimpressed as the guy missed the first shot. 

The guy cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders back and tried again, missing once more. Alec bit his lip to keep from laughing, watching the guy get more frustrated. 

“Stupid game,” the guy muttered, taking the final shot and watching it hit the far edge of the target. 

“Sorry, that doesn’t win you a prize,” the game runner said, and the guy threw the gun on the counter, huffing. 

“This game is fucking rigged,” the guy said, looking back at Alec and smiling seductively. “Let’s get out of here, baby. Maybe take a ride on the ferris wheel? You don’t need the stupid panda anyway.” 

Alec opened his mouth to protest, when someone else spoke up. 

“The panda, hm?” 

Alec turned around, fully prepared to tell everyone to just fuck off so he could go back home, catch up on Black Mirror, and sleep. However, when Alec turned, he caught eye of the new man leaning gracefully against the gaming counter, looking up at the giant stuffed panda Alec had wanted to win earlier. 

This new stranger had a styled mohawk, black liner on, and dark brown eyes. Alec was swooning, just a little bit. 

“Hi,” Alec said before he could process his words, cursing his inability to form a coherent thought around someone so unbelievably beautiful.

“Hi,” the man answered back, a smile on his lips. God, Alec was  _ fucked _ . He turned back to the lady behind the counter. “Could I get a try, darling?”

She nodded and the new man paid the five dollars, picking up the plastic gun with finesse. Alec was having a really hard time keeping his eyes away from the man’s hands. 

“I’m Magnus, by the way,” the man said over his shoulder, as he raised his hands and hit three perfect shots into the bullseye. 

“I -” Alec tried, gaping as the lady handed Magnus the stuffed panda and Magnus handed it to Alec. Alec smiled almost instantly, looking at Magnus like he was the seventh wonder of the world. 

“Anyone could do that,” the guy from before scoffed, looking furious. 

“And yet you didn’t,” Magnus retorted, raising an eyebrow. The guy squinted, his jaw clenching, before he looked at Alec, who still hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of Magnus. 

“Whatever,” he said, stomping away. 

“Thank you,” Alec said instantly, not even bothering watching the guy as he left. “That was incredible.” 

“No problem,” Magnus replied, leaning easily against the counter. “You looked like you needed an out from that situation.” 

“I did. I’m enjoying this situation a lot more,” Alec chuckled, taking a step closer to Magnus. “My name’s Alec, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Alec,” Magnus said, his eyes practically twinkling under the carnival lights. “Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask for you number?” 

“I don’t know,” Alec teased, gripping the teddy bear in his hands as his eyes scanned Magnus’ face. “Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask you for coffee?”

“Not at all,” Magnus replied, fully grinning now. 

Surprisingly, Alec thought, this carnival didn’t turn out so bad after all. 


	16. malec + breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> malec is soft and immortal and married and u can fight me if u think otherwise
> 
> as usual thank u [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) for beta'ing and puking at how fluffy this is ily <3

Magnus tosses the robe around his shoulders, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He doesn’t like waking up to an empty bed, especially not on a special day such as today. The morning is  beautiful , the sun rays streaming in through the windows and casting warmth on the bed’s golden sheets. 

Just as Magnus is about to open the door and go out to try to find Alec, it flies open, revealing Alec, clad only in his black boxer briefs, carrying a tray full of waffles, bacon, coffee, and a single red rose in a vase. 

“Alexander,” Magnus says, after taking a moment to assess the image in front of him and tuck it away in his memory for forever. “What’s this?” 

“You’re ruining my plan here, Magnus,” Alec says, pouting at his tray. 

“I apologize, darling,” Magnus replies, smiling softly. “What can I do to help?” 

“Go lay down,” Alec says, gesturing to the bed by nodding in its general direction. 

“Okay,” Magnus says, playing along by going back to the bed and sitting down onto it, pulling the covers up to his waist. 

“Nope, the surprise is ruined,” Alec says, laying the tray down on the bed anyway. “It was supposed to be breakfast in bed, but someone woke up too early.”

“I woke up to an empty bed, Alexander. I was just about to go a nd look for yo u,” Magnus says, o ne hand finding Alec’s and lacing their fingers together easily. 

“Sorry,” Alec says, leaning over and kissing Magnus’ temple. “I just wanted to make you breakfas t.”

Magnus grins, leaning over to get closer to Alec. “Nothing to be sorry for, my love.” 

“So,” Alec says, looking down at the plate of food. “Chef Alec Lightwood-Bane presents waffles, based on that recipe we got from Germany, coffee from that Italian brand you have, and bacon, from my own personal bacon cooking knowledge.” 

Magnus laughs softly, looking at the food and then back at Alec. “Say that again.” 

“You want me to repeat all of that? Well, alright,” Alec teases, and Magnus laughs louder this time, swatting at Alec’s arm and looking at him fondly. 

“You know what I mean, Alexander,” Magnus says, kissing Alec’s jaw for good measure. 

“Alec Lightwood-Bane,” Alec whispers leaning forward until their lips are almost touching. Magnus hums softly, closing his eyes. 

_ Husbands _ . Magnus Bane has a  _ husband _ . 

It feels too good to be true, but last night is a memory that’s bright and vivid in Magnus’ mind, and he won’t forget anytime soon about their wedding, surrounded by their family and friends. 

Yesterday was the best day of Magnus’ life - and he’s lived a long time. Now, he has Alec with him. 

“I love you,” Alec says, and Magnus realizes he’s been momentarily silent thinking about the bliss from yesterday. 

“I love you, too,” Magus replies, raising Alec’s hand and kissing Alec’s knuckle, right over the gold band on his left ring finger. 

“Me and you, baby,” Alec says softly, plucking the rose from the vase and handing it to Magnus. “Forever.”

“Forever is an awfully long time,” Magnus says, taking the rose gently before meeting Alec’s eyes. “There’s no one I’d rather spend it with.” 


	17. jaia + concert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a million thanks to [charl](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) ily boo :*

“You’ve seriously never been to a concert before?” Maia asks, turning to look at Jace as the bouncer scanned their tickets and they were let inside. 

“No,” Jace huffs back, keeping close to Maia as they made their way through the concert venue. 

Maia hums thoughtfully, glancing at Jace as she grabs his hand and leads him towards the right side of the area, where it’s a lot less crowded. It Jace loves it, they could always go into the mass of people, but on the outskirts of the audience, Jace will have some air to breath if he gets overwhelmed. 

Thought Jace will never admit it, Maia knows that lots of people being aware of his presence can give him anxiety. It’s a part of being a Shadowhunter, she muses. Activating an invisibility rune is easy, but being seen is a lot harder. 

She also knows, as Jace stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, that Jace can get defensive when trying new things he wasn’t exposed to because of the way he was raised. She spoke to Magnus about it recently, and he told her he took Alec bike riding for the first time last month. These Shadowhunters are trained so hard under such scrutiny, that it’s no surprise some of them miss out on the little pleasures in life. She knows for a fact that Jace himself has never been bike riding either, and she quickly added that to the list of things she needs to show Jace. 

Maia has been learning a lot about Jace, recently. 

She likes him, a lot in fact, and she hasn’t said it out loud to anyone, not yet, but she knows how easy she can be to read around people she trusts. Maia sees it in Luke’s gaze every time she’s off of work and makes plans with Jace. She saw it in Magnus’ eyes during their conversation, when he asked if her sudden interest in Shadowhunters had to do with a particular blonde one. 

Jace is sweet, when he’s not being a total asshole. It also helps that he’s hot, good in bed, and actually cares enough to want to cuddle and have pillow talk with Maia about random things in the world that interest her. 

It’s been a long time since she’s had something like that. 

“It’ll be fun,” she teases softly, bumping Jace’s shoulder twice until he cracks a small smile. “You’ll like them, they’re an up and coming band. I’ve had their album on repeat for weeks.”

Jace nods, glancing over at Maia and taking her hand, lacing their fingers together. 

“Thank you for taking me here tonight,” Jace says, smiling softly at Maia in a way she knows is reserved only for her. 

“Anytime,” she replies, a little breathless, leaning over and pressing a tender kiss on Jace cheek, feeling him smile under it. 

The concert ends up being a huge success, if judging by Jace’s enormous smile and the way he starts dancing midway into the second song, tugging softly on Maia’s arm so she joins him. She can’t remember the last time she’s had this much fun with someone on a date, and by the look in Jace’s eyes, he’s thinking the same thing. 


	18. malec + summer

The bonfire was bright in the pitch black darkness, illuminating the grassy field and the forest in the background. The campers near the fire were roasting marshmallows, cozying up next to each other on logs to combat the chilly summer wind, or dancing to the soft pop music that was playing through the speakers.  

Alec watched his group of kids with a soft smile, hanging back behind the crowd and drinking some of the fresh hot chocolate Meliorn made in the kitchen earlier. He had the young boys ages ten to eleven to take care of, and they liked Alec a lot, so most of the time they behaved.

Alec hadn’t ever thought about being a camp counselor, but Izzy was so excited to apply and mentor some young girls that Alec couldn’t refuse her when she asked him to apply as well. He was used to being an older brother, however, so he wasn’t that surprised that his group of boys took a liking to him. 

Mostly Alec thought that this summer would be spent being active outdoors and catching up on some reading, but instead he found himself distracted by the Art Director. 

Since the moment Magnus Bane smiled at him and introduced himself on day one, Alec had started to develop a ridiculous crush on the guy. It didn’t help that not only was he gorgeous, artistically talented, studying to be a doctor, and undeniably funny and kind, but he also lived only a half hour drive for Alec. Meaning this crush manifested itself to be more than a summer thing. 

Alec didn’t want this friendship they’d set up to end on the last day of camp. Magnus was someone Alec wanted to know for the rest of his life. 

Izzy kept telling Alec it was taking him way too long to ask Magnus out, but what did she know? 

“Your group seems to be having fun,” someone said from beside him, and Alec turned to find Magnus, sipping his own paper cup of hot chocolate with a smile. He was wearing a grey sweater with Lake Lynn Camp printed on the front, and his nails were painted a deep blue shade. 

“I think it’s mostly due to too much sugar,” Alec said with an easy smile, looking back at the campers. “I’m pretty sure Sammy alone had 4 s’mores.” 

Magnus laughed, looking at Alec. “Are you coming to the counselor after party tonight?”

Alec shrugged, drinking the remains of his hot chocolate. 

“Yeah, probably,” Alec said. “Why?”

“Just curious. Maia said they’re gonna open up the games room, too, meaning we can finally have that ping pong rematch,” Magnus smirked, tilting his head to the side. 

“What, so I could kick your ass again?” Alec teased. 

“As if,” Magnus said, rolling his eyes playfully. “You know I wasn’t playing my best because I didn’t sleep well the night before and was tired.” 

“Sure thing, Magnus,” Alec said. “What’s your excuse gonna be tonight when I win?” 

“Shut up,” Magnus laughed, bumping Alec’s shoulder with his own. 

They stood there in silence for a minute, Magnus finishing off his own drink. 

“Maybe,” Magnus started, and Alec turned to look at him again. “Maybe you could go with me to the party? Like  _ with me _ , with me?”

Alec gaped at him momentarily, trying to process what exactly Magnus was asking and if he was dreaming or if this was actually happening. 

“Yeah,” Alec said breathlessly, smiling brightly when Magnus met his eyes. 

“Wonderful,” Magnus said, chewing on his lower lip in attempt to hide a smile. “Then I’m just gonna close up the art cabin and I’ll meet you there at 9?” 

Alec nodded, watching as Magnus walked backwards for a few step, their eyes locked, before Magnus waved and turned to walk properly. Excitement was already flooding through Alec, and he couldn’t wait to put the kids to bed and see what that night had in store for him.


	19. jimon + olives

Simon flattens the front of his shirt, double checking that there are no wrinkles on it before smiling into the mirror, practicing his bedroom eyes. 

“Why hello, Mr. Jace Lightwood, I hear you have a fantastic - oh  _ fuck _ ,” Simon says as he stubs his toe on his way to to the mirror. He bends over and lifts up his foot, massaging it to make it feel between. 

“Stupid chair,” he mutters mostly to himself. 

Simon is beyond surprised that Jace, the cute bartender from Simon’s favorite bar, asked him on a date. It’s ridiculous, really, because Jace is crazy out of his league, with his stupid blonde hair and stupid lips, but he’d asked Simon out anyway, and Simon isn’t dumb enough to say no to that. 

The truth of the matter is - Simon is beyond nervous. Despite the fact that Simon hasn’t been on a proper date in about four months, Jace is also someone Simon has spent the last 3 months getting to know. The bar Jace works at is a small hole in the wall that has complicated drinks and smooth jazz, and whenever business is slow Jace always stands by Simon and chats with him about anything and everything. 

Jace and Simon know each other, and that only makes Simon like Jace that much more. Because besides his lips and his hair, Jace also has an honest heart, and a smart mind. Simon’s  _ doomed _ .  

After a few more minutes of pep talk, Simon pushes his glasses up his nose and makes his way out of his apartment and into the chilly New York air. The walk to the restaurant they’d decided to meet at is familiar, and within a few minutes Simon is making his way inside. 

He finds Jace instantly, sitting at a table for two by the window and scanning the menu. Simon tries not to groan out loud at how good Jace looks. He’s wearing a cozy taupe sweater and dark black jeans, and Simon takes a minute to drink him in before coming to say hi. 

“Hope you weren’t waiting too long,” Simon says, startling Jace. When Jace looks up and sees Simon, however, his face breaks out into a grin, and he gets up out of his seat to properly hug Simon. 

“I wasn’t,” Jace responds after they pull back and both take their respective seats. “I just didn’t want to be late.”

“You’re good, dude,” Simon says with a wave of his hand, taking off his coat. 

“So, what would you like to drink?” Jace asks, and the question is stupidly familiar. Simon grins at Jace and calls over the waitress. 

The dinner goes by incredibly. Simon knew that he and Jace already had a ton of chemistry, but this? This is something new and special. Jace keeps sliding his foot up and down Simon’s calf, and their hands keep inching closer to each other on the table as they wait for their meals and talk about their days. 

It’s  _ nice _ . 

And of course, it all goes south the minute their entrees come out. 

“You’re actually gonna eat those?” Simon asks, a look of disgust on his face as Jace picks up an olive off of his salmon with his fork and eats it. Simon pretends to gag. 

“They’re delicious, Lewis,” Jace teases. “I’m disappointed to hear that you have bad taste in food, because your taste in men seems to be just fine.”

“Oh my god,” Simon breaths out, actually facepalming. “That’s it, this is officially the worst date ever.”

Jace laughs from across from him, and Simon likes him a little bit more for easily going along with his humor. “We both know that’s not true.”

Simon removes his hands from his face and studies Jace, chewing on the inside of his cheek before grinning. 

“No, it’s not. I like you despite your weird love for olives,” Simon sighs, picking up his own fork. 

Across from him, Jace grins brightly. 

“I could ask for nothing more.” 


	20. magnus + rain

As soon as Magnus hears the high pitched cries that pierce through the night, he knew there was no going back to bed. Alec returned home late last night, exhausted from the recent demon attack in Central Park that most of the Shadowhunters fought. Even after the fight, as the Head of the Institute, Alec had to go back to his office and do mountains of paperwork to keep the Shadow World a secret - and Magnus wasn’t surprised to find his husband practically dragging his feet through the door and collapsing in bed. 

So, right now, Alec needs the sleep more than Magnus does. Lord knows Alec is up most nights with baby Max anyway, so Magnus pulls himself out of bed after pressing a soft kiss to Alec’s temple, and makes his way towards the baby’s room. 

As predicted, little Max is crying in his crib, most likely due to the loud thunder from the storm outside. 

“Shh, come here darling,” Magnus coos softly, lifting his son into his arms and rocking him back and forth gently. 

Max almost immediately relaxes in his father’s arms, but he’s still whimpering softly. Magnus smiles warmly, pressing a kiss to his forehead, right between his two tiny horns. 

“I’m here, my love, I’ve got you,” Magnus whispers, looking down at Max who is watching him with wide eyes. The thunder is still booming outside, and every time it does Max starts pouting, getting ready for the waterworks. 

With a small flourish of his hand, Magnus makes a small invisible layer of magic between the window and Max’s room, making the noise from the outside a lot more subdued and easier for his little 8 month old to handle. 

“That’s better, right?” Magnus asks, smiling as Max just stares back. He doesn’t look like he’s going to be falling asleep anytime soon, so Magnus points a finger up and watches as purple and blue magic curls out of it, making different images in the air around them.

Max watches with curious eyes as Magnus’ magic takes the form of multiple birds, before melting into two small tigers racing in a circle above their heads. Then the magic becomes a night sky, the stars twinkling dramatically. Max makes a small noise of pleasure in his arms, and Magnus watches him fondly. 

He never really knew it was possible to love someone so much. Looking at Max now, so small in his arms, with genuine enthusiasm and tiny hands that rest on Magnus’ chest, he knows he’d do anything to protect his son. 

Within a few minutes of Magnus’ magic around them in multicolored swirls, Max’s eyes start to droop and his head falls to Magnus’ chest. He watches as little Max breathes, sound asleep. 

Magnus carefully settles Max back into his crib and then leans against it, watching the lightning crackle and boom in the sky, casting shadows into the room. 

There was a time when Magnus connected rain and thunder to bad memories, ones he always wanted to forget. Looking at the sky now, he feels like all his memories of rain are good. 

He slowly makes his way through the loft, and ends up on the entrance to the balcony. With one swift movement, he opens the screen door and steps outside, not far enough to get wet, but just enough to take a giant lungful of the rain. 

Now, all Magnus can remember is his and Alec’s fourth date, when it started pouring during their trip to Italy, and they had to hideout in a random tiny diner off the side of the road that made the best espresso Magnus has ever had. 

Magnus remembers when Alec and him were babysitting Madzie, and when the rain seemingly ruined their plans, all Madzie wanted to do was go and splash around. It was the summertime, and Magnus couldn’t think of a reason not to, so they did. The three of them spent two hours playing tag in the rain and getting soaked, and even though Cat wasn’t happy about it later, Magnus wouldn’t forget the huge smile Madzie sported for the rest of the day. 

Magnus remembers his honeymoon with Alec, and how it rained one day in Fiji, and Alec took his hand and dragged him outside while they were both still in their pajamas, and Alec kissed Magnus stupid, till all he could think about was the taste of Alec’s lips and the smell of the earth from the rain.

It’s not like the more painful memories are gone, but they aren’t  the ones Magnus chooses to remember. The rain is something that now soothes him and brings him peace, rather than haunts him. It’s powerful and frightening, but also so  _ alive _ . 

“Babe?” 

Magnus turns slightly when he feels two hands snake around his waist from behind and a very familiar chest pressing against his back. 

“Are you okay?” Alec asks, his voice low from sleep. 

“Yes, love,” Magnus replies, putting his hands over Alec’s. “Just admiring the rain.”

Alec hums, kissing Magnus’ shoulder. 

“Is Max okay?” Alec asks. 

“Yes, he’s alright. Fast asleep,” Magnus says, running his hands up and down Alec’s forearms. “Let’s go back to bed, shall we?”

“Uh huh,” Alec says sleepily, and Magnus laughs softly, turning around in his arms and pressing a kiss to Alec’s temple. He pulls back and takes a moment to admire just how stunning his husband is, even if he’s so tired he can hardly stand. His hair is a mess, his eyes are half lidded, and his runes are a sharp contrast on his skin. 

But he’s so unbelievably beautiful. 

Alec leans against Magnus, already halfway asleep, and Magnus laughs again, softly tugging Alec towards their bedroom. 

This is just another good memory of rain to file away, Magnus thinks. 


	21. raphael/meliorn + banana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set in the "this world inverted" universe!!

“Can’t we just go home, Magnus?” Raphael asks, crossing his arms over his chest with an irritated huff. They’re been grocery shopping for what seems to be a lifetime, and Raphael just wants to go home. But Magnus was insistent on the company, mostly because he wanted to gush to someone about his new boyfriend or whatever.

Alec seems nice. An event planner from the city who keeps taking Magnus on these apparently really nice dates that leave Magnus swooning for days after. Raphael is sure the guy’s great, and he’s glad he makes Magnus happy, but this is like their fifth date, and Raphael doesn’t know how much longer he can handle listening about their honeymoon phase.

“Fine, fine,” Magnus tuts, looking down his grocery list. “I just need bananas and then we can go.”

“On it,” Raphael says, bee-lining through the grocery store and finding himself in the fruit section. He does a spin, looking for the bananas, and walks purposefully towards them when he finds them.

Raphael takes a second to inspect a proper banana cluster, when someone else comes to look at the same fruit. Raphael doesn’t pay any mind to them until they speak up.

“Do you usually come to the grocery store just to pick up one fruit?”

Raphael turns to look at the man, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as to why the guy is talking to him. The man next to him is tall, with pale green streaks in his hair and a touch of makeup.

The man’s smile falls when Raphael didn’t reply.

“I just - you haven’t brought a cart with you, and you aren’t carrying a bag or anything,” the man says, chewing on his lip. “I apologize. I was just trying to make conversation.”

“No, you’re good,” Raphael replies, settling on a banana cluster, still confused as to why this guy was talking to him. He made a turn to leave the fruit section and go find Magnus when the man stopped him.

“Look,” the man says when he stands in front of Raphael. “I’m sorry for not being as charming as I usually can be - I just think you’re an attractive man and you’re here all alone, so I was just trying to see if I could get your number. Is that - would that be alright?”

“My number?” Raphael asks, a little dumbfounded. He hangs out with Catarina all the time, and is used to seeing her get hit on. It’s rare for him to be the one being approached by handsome men. “Yeah, okay.”

Raphael holds out his hand and waits till the man places his phone into it with a bright smile.

After entering his info, Raphael looks back up, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“My name is Meliorn, by the way,” the man says.

“Raphael,” Raphael replies.  

“Well, Raphael,” Meliorn says, “I’ll call you.”

“I’ll be waiting.”


	22. jimon + drunk

“This is amazing. This is by far the best thing I’ve ever experienced, oh my god,” Simon babbles as Jace laughs next to him. He gently pushes Simon’s hair out of his face, and Simon smiles dopily up at him. Jace tries to ignore how his heart constricts at that. 

_ He’s just a friend _ , Jace reminds himself, watching as Simon tries to get out of bed and stumbles right before his feet hit the ground. 

“Have I ever shown you my baby photos?” Simon asks, and Jace has to hide his snort behind his hand, because this is definitely not something Simon would willingly try to show Jace were he even one degree more sober than he is now. 

When Simon told Jace that he’d never gotten drunk off of vampire liquor, only buzzed, Jace went and got him the tequila of alcoholic blood from a smaller Queens clan. 

Now, Simon is drunker than Jace had anticipated, but he’s giggly and happy, and Jace is enjoying watching Simon’s ridiculous drunk antics. 

“Look,” Simon says as he opens the book of old baby photos. “That’s me taking a bath. I think I’m like one in that photo.” 

Jace hums, glancing over to the photo and has to resist the urge to steal that photo away so he can tease Simon about it forever. 

“I took these before I left the house. They were in my room,” Simon explains, blinking a few times at the book in front of him as he flips to a new page. “I didn’t think you’d ever get to see these, yaknow.” 

“Why?” Jace asks. 

“Because I have a crush on you, duh,” Simon says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, although his words are a little slurred. 

“What?” Jace asks dumbly, his eyebrows furrowed together. Because, well,  _ the fuck _ ? 

It’s the other way around. Jace has a huge thing for Simon that is one sided. Jace is the one who worries about Simon whenever he fights with them during a demon attack. Jace is the one who has tried to come to terms with the fact that Simon might just never like him back. 

“I know, okay? You don’t have to pretend like you feel bad or anything. I know you don’t feel the same,” Simon says sadly, fiddling with the corner of the photo album page. 

“Wait - what?” Jace says again, because he’s confused and whatever just came out of Simon’s mouth is a huge plate of  _ no _ . “Of course I feel the same.”

“Now I’m confused,” Simon says, shifting to look at Jace. He narrows his eyes, and Jace can tell they’re still slightly unfocused from all the alcohol. “Why do you have a crush on me?” 

“I don’t know,” Jace answers. “Why do you have a crush on me?” 

“Touché,” Simon says, before grinning widely and leaning forward with closed eyes, obviously expecting a kiss. 

“Nope,” Jace says, ducking his face out of the way and catching Simon by the shoulders. “You’re drunk, Simon.” 

“Yeah, and you’re hot. Glad we’re both stating obvious things here,” Simon says, pouting. 

“Simon,” Jace says with a soft laugh, trying to downplay how it feels like his heart is doing somersaults in his chest. “I’m not - we’re not having our first kiss when you’re drunk. I need to know that when you’re sober, you’ll still want this - me.” 

“Of course I will,” Simon protests. 

“Tomorrow,” Jace says softly, pushing Simon back gently and cupping his face. “Tomorrow morning we’ll talk about this, okay? Then we can get to the kissing.” 

Simon sighs dramatically, “okay.” 

Jace smiles, unable to help it, and slowly leans forward, kissing just the very edge of Simon’s lips. Simon watches him with wide eyes as he pulls back and jerks his head towards the bed. 

“Let’s get some water in you and then you’ll rest, okay?” Jace says.

“M’kay.”

When sunrise comes, they do more kissing than talking, but Jace still considers it one of the best mornings of his life. 


	23. malec + sunrise

“Where are you taking me?” Alec laughs softly, grabbing Magnus’ outstretched hand and walking through the portal. 

“Come on, Alexander, where’s your sense of adventure?” Magnus teases as they step out into a grassy field. Alec is about to retort and ask why they have to be adventurous at 2 am when he notices they aren’t in a place familiar to Alec. 

“What -” Alec starts to say, turning in a small circle until he sees the prehistoric monument and lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. 

Magnus magicks up a picnic blanket and sits down on it, patting the spot next to him. Alec plops down, unable to keep his eyes off of the beautiful landmark. 

“It’s beautiful,” he says, and Magnus chuckles softly. 

“You haven’t even seen the best part,” Magnus says, snapping his fingers and making two cups of tea appear, which Alec is eternally grateful for, considering it isn’t very warm right now at the Stonehenge. 

“The first time I was here, Catarina and Dot took me with a mundane tour, just to experience it,” Magnus says with a soft sigh. “It’s a sight I’ve never forgotten. And it’s something I think you would appreciate too.” 

Alec looks over at Magnus and grins, the wind biting but the tea in his hands hot and soothing. 

Within a few moments, rays of sunlight start peeking out over the horizon, illuminating the field and the stones. They create rows of shadows, but the actual light of present day meeting history, is something that takes Alec’s breath away.

“Woah,” Alec says, feeling completely at peace. The scene is otherworldly, and it makes Alec want to paint this image, or photograph it, so he never has to forget this moment. He can see why it meant to much to Magnus. It’s inspiring and uplifting and  _ beautiful _ . 

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” Alec says, tearing his eyes away from the sunrise to look at Magnus. 

Magnus looks back at him with a small private smile, reserved just for Alec. “You’re welcome.”

“This is easily the best fourth date I’ve ever been on,” Alec teases, brightening when Magnus chuckles at his playful tone. 

“It’s all in my devious mission to woo you,” Magnus replies easily, looking back at the sunrise and sipping his tea. Alec just watches him, however, with a calculated gaze.

“You don’t need to woo me, Magnus,” Alec says honestly, watching as Magnus turns his gaze to Alec. “I already like you a lot.”

Magnus visibly softens at that, his face illuminated by the sun’s light. Alec didn’t think he’d be one to wear his heart out on his sleeve, but he trusts Magnus. Alec wants Magnus to like every version of him, and around Magnus, Alec feels like the best version of himself. 

Alec offers his hand to Magnus, and Magnus takes it, intertwining their fingers. Magnus shuffles closer to Alec, and slowly but surely rests his head on Alec’s shoulder. 

He looks back at the sunrise and smiles despite himself, and when he takes another sip of the passion fruit tea in his hand, he knows that the lack of sleep he’s going to get the next night will be completely worth it. 


	24. malec + makeup

“Nope, no, there’s no way,” Alec says, and Magnus clutches his stomach as he laughs harder at the black tear stains down Alec’s cheeks. 

Alec stands up and walks to the bathroom, unable to stop chuckling himself as he rinses his face off with water. 

“ _ Magnus _ ,” Alec says, even as he continues laughing himself, trying to scrub the watery eyeliner away. “Stop laughing at me, traitor.” 

“I’m sorry darling,” Magnus says in between puffs of laughter, standing up off the bed and going to the bathroom to find his makeup remover towelettes. “But in my defense, you were the one who wanted to try on my eyeliner.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would irritate the shit out of my eye,” Alec says, leaning against the sink and pouting as Magnus pulls out a wipe and cups Alec’s chin, still laughing to himself. 

He takes pity on Alec and cleans off the runny eyeliner that made its way down Alec’s face when the laughing bug hit them. Alec wanted to try out Magnus’ makeup, and Magnus was more than happy to oblige, but Alec’s eyes didn’t want to get with the program. They kept watering, and soon both Alec and Magnus couldn’t stop laughing at their misfortune, resulting in black tears streaks on Alec’s cheeks, which only made them laugh harder. 

Magnus had tried one last time until Alec tapped out, but it had been an amusing evening all the same. 

“It compliments your eyes so well when you wear it,” Alec says with a frown as Magnus removes the last traces of eyeliner from Alec’s face. “I just wanted to see if it’ll look nice on me.” 

“Well,” Magnus says, throwing the makeup wipe in the bin next to the sink, “for the two seconds that your eyes didn’t water, it did look extremely good on you.” 

Alec shakes his head as Magnus wraps his arms around Alec’s torso, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“Although I don’t think I’ll ever get the sight of you with black streaks down your cheeks out of my head,” Magnus says, starting to laugh again as Alec swats his hip with a huff. Magnus knows he’s not really offended, not if Alec’s huge grin is anything to go by. 

“I can’t believe my eyes watered from just some eyeliner,” Alec says, both of his hands grasping Magnus’ hips. 

Magnus leans up and hums, trying to hold his composure. “Wait till you discover mascara,” he says, before breaking out into a fit of laughter. 

“Magnus,  _ no _ .”


	25. magnus & dot + concert

“That concert was the best I’ve ever been to hands down,” Dot says with a laugh as they walked out of the theater. She links her arms through Magnus’ and he smiles at her. 

“I agree,” Magnus says, tugging her gently away from the crowd and in a different direction. “Care to meet the musicians themselves?”

“Magnus Bane!” Dot says with a gasp, swatting at his arm when they reach a door with the words ‘Backstage’ written on it. 

“Pass me your mirror, please? I need to look presentable,” Magnus says, a mischievous smile on his face as she pulls one out of her bag and hands it to him. 

“So you  _ accidentally _ happened to get front row seats to the hottest band in the world right now?” Dot asks, leaning forward on the stage ever so slightly. 

“I’m telling you, my dear Dot, I won a contest,” Magnus says casually, checking that his hair was still standing up nicely. He had a striking blue highlight streak in his hair today that paired nicely with his pale patterned blue shirt.

“Sure you did, Magnus,” Dot says, making grabby hands at the mirror once he was finished and snatching it swiftly, checking her lipstick. “Just like how you won tickets to Elvis Presley every other month, right?” 

“Hush now, darling,” Magnus says playfully. “We don’t want to mention any of my ex’s in front of my new friend.” 

“Just a friend, are you sure about that?” Dot teases, making kissy noises at Magnus until he laughs, trying to shush her. The joy from the concert is still pulsing in her veins, and she’s ridiculously glad that Magnus invited her. He’s always been the most fun at concerts. Ragnor prefers to stand towards the back and talks non stop, but Magnus is there to have a blast. 

“Well, hopefully more, but that won’t happen if you bring up my past partners,” Magnus says, pointing at her as she laughs. 

“Okay, okay, noted!” Dot gives in, fixing a small strand of hair that fell from Magnus’ hairsprayed hairdo. 

“He’s coming - act natural!” Magnus says, bouncing on his toes a little. “Why  _ hello _ , Freddie.”

Dot’s in for a  _ wild _ night. 


	26. magnus & catarina + reminiscing

Magnus swirls the blue curaco around in his glass, watching the waves crash into the shore. He inhales, breathing in the smell of the ocean, and smiles. 

Next to him, Cat is talking about a bizarre encounter with a warlock that she had the other day. Magnus feels at ease here, sitting next to his best friend and pretending, even for just a moment, that they have not one care in the world. 

“What are you thinking about, handsome?” Catarina asks, taking a sip of her margarita. 

“Just, about the past. The future,” Magnus muses, and Cat laughs. 

“Anything specific?” 

“Not really,” Magnus says, then pauses for a moment, looking at her and then back to the water. It’s a beautiful day, and the water is a crystal clear blue.  “Do you remember that trip we took to Spain 40 years ago?” 

“You mean the first stop of our world traveling adventure? Quite well,” Catarina asks. The ocean breeze washes over them, and they both go silent, enjoying the calm atmosphere. “Why do you ask?”

“I miss those days, I suppose,” Magnus says, watching her until she meets his eyes. “With this threat of Valentine and the ‘Death to Downworlders’ talk that he’s been instigating, I guess I just wonder  _ what if _ ? What if he does do it? Do we really expect the Shadowhunters and the Clave to protect us?”

Magnus sighs and Catarina stays quiet, watching him. 

“It makes me think about how I’d spend my last day, if I were to be so lucky to know when that’d be,” Magnus says, “and I think I’d want to go back to Spain. We had so much fun there, and I loved the people and the culture. We should go back there sometime soon.” 

“Why do you fill your brilliant head with such sad thoughts, Magnus?” Cat says with a shake of her head. “Valentine doesn’t scare me. He’s a fraud, and an evil man, and I could kill him with the flick of my wrist.”

“What about his followers? Do they not scare you?” Magnus asks, looking back at the water. “What scares me is this: Valentine’s word wasn’t disregarded. He’s not alone in his beliefs, and even if he were to die, you have hundreds of people with the same mindset as him. They want us dead.” 

“Let them want all they please,” Catarina snarls, sitting up properly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Magnus just smiles sadly. He wonders when his life seemed to fade in vibrance. 

“Hey,” Catarina says, setting her drink aside and grabbing Magnus’ hand, “remember when we were visiting Ragnor at the breakout of the Black Death? And when we came home, we had to hear every day about how the situations worsened and Ragnor was in a constant state of stress -”

“-as if he isn’t like that today too.”

“Anyway,” Cat says with a small laugh. “It was awful. I lost Adelaide to it, and Ragnor lost one of his students. My point is, Magnus, that we lived on. We’ve both lived long enough to know that the world will change and mend and sometimes break, and the best we can do is survive.”

“I suppose you’re right, my dear,” Magnus says with a sigh, taking another sip of his drink. 

“Color me optimistic,” Catarina says, making sure Magnus looks at her before continuing. “But something really good is going to happen to you really soon. You’re too good of a person to suffer this much. That can only mean that something wonderful is around the corner.”

Magnus just laughs softly, too weak to disagree with the brightness in Cat’s eyes. 

Little did both of them know, that in a month’s time in the middle of Pandemonium, it’s not something wonderful that comes around - but  _ someone _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well - this is it!! after 30000 years i finished all my 500 follower celebration prompts. thank u guys so much for being supportive and amazing and patient. i love u to the moon and back
> 
> i'm on [tumblr](http://magnusragnor.tumblr.com) if u guys wanna chat there!!
> 
> <3 <3 <3


End file.
